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Friday, March 18, 2011

Spartan interior, but sparkling performance

porsche: Engineers have designed the new Cayman R to be lighter, more powerful and faster than ever
By GaBriel Gelinas
Postmedia News

Palma de majorca, spain With the new Cayman R, which will be available in Canada next month as a 2012 model, Porsche has borrowed just about every page from its Boxster Spyder playbook to create the lightest and fastest Cayman ever. The power-to-weight ratio is the be all and end all of automotive performance, so making the car lighter while giving it more power will significantly improve its dynamics. This is precisely what the engineers at Porsche have done with the Cayman R, which is 55 kilograms lighter than the Cayman S. And its engine develops 10 more horsepower for a total output of 330 hp. The numbers might not read like much, but, this new car raises the bar significantly in terms of performance.

The new Cayman r is 55 kg lighter than the Cayman s and puts out 10 more horsepower.

submitted photo

The Cayman R is available with a standard six-speed manual gearbox, but Porsches latest track-day weapon can also be had with the sevenspeed double-clutch PDK gearbox, which now features proper steering wheel paddles that are set up exact-

ly like those on its competitors upshifts selected via the right paddle and downshifts via the left. Porsche has finally seen the light and ditched the previous arrangement consisting of awkward and counter-intuitive steering wheel buttons.

Acceleration times are quicker with the PDK gearbox, but the Cayman R is more satisfying to drive with the manual transmission. Aside from a few laps of the race track, most of my time with the Cayman R was spent driving on the

extremely slippery, wet roads of Palma, which compared with snowy or even icy roads in Canada. Under these conditions, the cars electronic aids proved to be very useful. Although Porsche has made significant progress of late to improve the ride of its sports cars by carefully tuning suspensions to reduce impact harshness, it remains to be seen how well the Cayman R will perform on our Canadian roads. In order to thoroughly enjoy this latest rocket as a daily driver, you will have to consider the Cayman R as you would a high-end sport bike. In other words, you will need to accept that its relatively Spartan from a comfort level to appreciate its thrilling performance. But if you are truly committed to this kind of relationship, driving the $75,600 Cayman R just may be one of the best experiences youll ever have.

PER 100KM
Meet the new generation smart fortwo. Weve redesigned a whole new interior with an entertainment experience you wouldnt expect and with its fuel economy of 4.8L/100 km highway and 5.9L city, the thrill will keep going for a long time. Visit your local dealer for more information.
Sales Inquiries 604-70-SMART (707-6278)
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